Opinion – Op-Ed

By W.R. Vance

In the 1975 film Rollerball, citizens of a future world live in complete comfort. Global corporations provide energy, food, housing, and health care… removing hardship but also eliminating rights. Individual achievement is discouraged, personal history is erased, and people are kept entertained and obedient through a violent global sport that reminds them: the corporations are in control, not the players.

Nearly 50 years later, what once played as dystopian fiction now reads like a cautionary blueprint.

A New Corporate Power Class

Today, economic and technological power is consolidating into a small cluster of dominant artificial-intelligence companies… the so-called “Magnificent 7.” These firms control massive digital infrastructure, global communication systems, consumer commerce, personal data, and increasingly, the tools of human thought and creativity.

No legislation governs their rise. No public vote determines their influence. Yet they are rapidly becoming the essential utilities of modern life.

When your ability to work, communicate, shop, learn, and even express ideas runs through private companies that answer only to shareholders, everyday citizens are left with a critical question:

What freedoms remain when dependence is total?

AI Will Create Winners — And Many Displaced Workers

Artificial intelligence promises great benefits — scientific breakthroughs, healthcare advances, new industries. But economic disruption is certain. Experts forecast that a third or more of jobs could be automated within the next generation.

That creates an unavoidable societal challenge:

When machines do the work, what becomes of the workers?

One solution gaining credibility is Universal Basic Income — paying people simply to exist, consume, and stay calm in a destabilized labor market. But such a system, controlled by tech-driven corporations, could easily shift from a social safety net into a form of quiet submission.

To maintain order, leaders throughout history have understood the value of spectacle.

Sports as Distraction — And Discipline

Just as Rollerball used a brutal arena sport to keep citizens obedient, today’s entertainment ecosystem is evolving rapidly. Major technology firms have moved into:

• Sports team ownership

• Streaming rights and exclusive broadcasts

• AI-optimized betting and gambling platforms

• Virtual reality athletic competitions

• Personalized behavioral engagement systems

If unemployment rises and corporate-provided income becomes the norm, the message could turn subtly familiar:

Enjoy the games. Cheer the chosen few. Don’t ask for more.

The citizen transforms from a worker into a spectator, valued for attention but stripped of agency.

The Human Element: Why Jonathan E. Still Matters

The lesson of Rollerball is not anti-technology — it is pro-human.

The corporations in the film demanded retirement from the star player, Jonathan E., because individuality threatened their order. His refusal to surrender his identity sparked the first true awakening among the people.

The question his triumph raises remains urgent:

Will technology enhance human purpose… or replace it?

A society built only on efficiency, safety, and consumption is not a society built for people. It is a warehouse for bodies.

We Must Choose Innovation With Freedom

America can… and must… harness AI for prosperity without sacrificing autonomy. That means:

• Upholding democratic oversight of essential technologies

• Supporting education that prepares workers for new roles, not unemployment

• Encouraging entrepreneurship and creativity over dependency

• Protecting privacy, identity, and the right to dissent

Convenience is not a replacement for liberty. Comfort should never require compliance.

Corporations, no matter how powerful, exist to serve humanity — not the reverse.

As we enter the AI era, let us remember:

The most dangerous future is not one where machines become like people.
It is one where people are treated like machines.

What Comes Next

The future of work, sports, and society itself hinges on the decisions being made right now… mostly in closed rooms far from public view. Citizens, lawmakers, and industry leaders must demand transparency and protect human purpose in the age of automation.

Technology can build a better world. But only if we insist that people remain at the center of it.

Visual Comparison Table

Rollerball’s Corporate Power vs. Today’s AI “Magnificent 7” Influence

The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the North Louisiana Business Journal, its staff, or its ownership.

 

Dystopian –  adjective describes an imagined society that is as bad as can be, characterized by human misery, oppression, and fear, often resulting from a failed attempt to create a perfect society. Dystopian worlds are typically the opposite of utopian ones and serve as a warning about current societal trends, exploring themes of dehumanization, control, and the darker aspects of human nature through fictional works like books and movies.

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